Life Goes On
by lil-niems
Summary: What would have happened if Angel had come to Sunnydale after he found out that Buffy was alive?
1. Default Chapter

Okay, so who hard a hard time believing that Angel wouldn't even drag his ass to Sunnydale the second he found out that Buffy was alive? I did. So, being the loyal B/A shipper that I am, I'm writing something different. Keep in mind that I'm a little new to posting fanfic, so give me a chance before you condemn me, k? :)

  
  


Title: Again

Author: Lil Niems

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns everything and everyone in the Buffy universe. Let us all bow down to him.

Spoilers: Everything up to "Afterlife". No Tara leaving, Giles isn't back yet and no B/S. (I like them together, but I prefer B/A)

Distribution: Pretty much anyone, just ask.

Summery: Buffy copes with life after death. But a familiar face will soon show up to help her. (You all know who.)

Feedback: Tell me wether I'm an awesome writer *hint hint* or that I better not quit my day job. 

  
  
  
  


Life used to scare me. I used to wake up every morning feeling more and more afraid. Afraid of dying. But, I don't feel that way anymore. Now, when I face death again, I'll know what peace will await me. And I won't be afraid.

  
  


I woke up to the smell of pancakes and the sound of laughter. I glanced at the clock and noted that it was only 7:30. I wondered why they were up so early on a Saturday. I threw my robe on and made my way downstairs. Tara, Willow and Dawn were all sitting around the table and the second they all saw me, their laughing stopped.

"Gee guys, don't act like a zombie just walked in." I said with a fake grin plastered on my face. I, for one, thought the comment was clever. They others faces all fell.

"Buffy..." Willow started. I knew what she was going to say: 'You're alive now. You're not a zombie. You're safe now. Blah, blah, blah.' So I stopped her.

"It's okay Willow. I just thought it would be funny, that's all. Guess I was wrong." The last part I muttered to myself. Willow and Dawn looked unconvinced. Tara, thankfully, changed the subject.

"So, what do you got planned for today, Buffy?" she asked, with a genuine smile on her face.

"I dunno, I thought that maybe I would lounge around and watch tv." Then I realised something.

"Ooh, did Ethan and Theresa finally get married?" I asked hopefully. I knew that 'Passions' was Dawn's favourite soap and hoped she would spawn into one of her famous speeches, in which she would explain why Passions was the best show on tv. A smile lit her face. 'Jackpot.'

  
  


"Well, they were gonna, but things got totally screwed up when...." I listened with a smile. But it was fake, and my face started to hurt after a while.

  
  


About five minutes into her 'speech', I silently crept out of the room and let my head and that stupid smile fall.

"I can't keep doing this." I said aloud.

"Can't keep doing what, luv?" I looked up to see Spike leaning against the basement doorway with a cigarette dangling from his lips. 

'Great, just what I need.' 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Discovery and Disgust

I shut my eyes tightly and willed him to go away. But, when I opened them he was still there, sadly. I noted in disgust the way his eyes roamed over my body and automatically fastened my belt tighter around my body.

"What are you doing here?" I asked accusingly.

"Relax, slayer. I actually have a good reason for showing up this early, and in the bloody sunlight, might I add." 

"Fine, I'll bite. Why are you here, Spike?"

He took one last drag and stretched his arm out to me, silently asking me to take his cigarette. After about 10 seconds, he gave up and, with a shrug, threw it to the floor and grounded it with his boot.

"Hey!, I yelled, what do you think you're doing?!"

"Helping you, pet." he replied with a cocky grin on his face. "I'm about to make your job a whole lot easier." He then proceeded to shove his arms in his pockets in search of something. He then pulled something out and triumphantly help a small, metallic object in the palm of his hand. A coin to be exact.

"Ohh, I said sarcastically, a quarter. Congratulations, Spike. I'm sure all the vamps in the town will evaporate into dust once they see that nifty, new invention." Once I was finished, I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled proudly. 'Damn, I'm good.'

"It's not a quarter, and you can stop with the insults. I'll have you know that I went through hell and back to get this." he explained. I looked at him with great doubt in my eyes.

"Okay, okay. I won it in a poker game." he said sadly. "But, on the bright side, the poor sod didn't know what it was. He didn't even care that he lost something as powerful as this." he said with a laugh. I, however, was unamused.

"Okay, I'm starting to doubt that this conversation has actual meaning." I was bored and I had better things to do than listen to him. Okay, I didn't exactly have better things to do, but he didn't need to know that.

"Look, just get dressed and we can head to The Magic Box. That old wanker probably left a bunch of boring books that know a lot more about than I bloody do." His crack on Giles didn't go unnoticed by me, but I figured I'd let him get away with it. This time. So, without a word, I turned and headed up the stairs. 

When I reached the top, I yelled, "Oh, Spike, if you don't pick up that cigarette, you'll be joining it in the ash tray." 'Damn, I'm really good.' 


	3. Surprise

The drive to the shop was quiet. Dawn and I sat in the back, while Willow sat next to Tara, in the passengers seat.

"So, Willow said, what was that thing that Spike was talking about, anyway?"

I didn't speak, only shrugged in response. Even if I did, know what that coin-thingny did, I wouldn't have spoken. Truth was I didn't, so my silence was justified. After I went upstairs, Spike threw his heavy, brown blanket over himself, and made a mad dash for his car. 'He's probably already there.'

Tara gazed at me from the rearview mirror. "So, do you really think Spike found something useful this time?" she asked as her eyes returned to the road.

Once again, I felt that words were a waste of time, so I shrugged. The worried look passed between Tara and Willow didn't go unnoticed by me so I added a few words, just for show.

"Maybe, but after all, he is Spike." Dawn gave me a dark look at that. Last night she had told me that she and him had gotten closer. But strictly friends. I hoped so because I didn't feel like dusting him. Not yet at least.

Finally, we pulled into the parking lot and Tara turned off the engine. I was the first to get out of the car, and I could practically feel the others' eyes burning a whole right through me. 'They brought me back, so they better get damn well used to looking at me.'

The bell jingled ad I entered the store. Anya's face lit up, but fell when she saw me.

"Aw, I thought you were actually someone." she said sadly.

"Thanks, Ahn. You always know just what to say."

"No, that's not what I meant. I thought you were a customer. Of course you're someone Buffy. You're all human and alive, and I believe that can be place in the 'Someone' category, right?" She looked to Xander, who was sitting at a nearby table, for approval.

"That's right honey, most people are someone." he said slowly, as though he were talking to a child.

She opened her mouth to reply when the other came in.

"Hey guys." Willow said cheerfully. 

"Hello, someones." Anya said. I chuckled at that comment, but no one else understood. They just stared at her like she had grown a second head. I decided to help her out.

"Good one." I said to her and shot her a quick smile. 

"Good what? Ooh, did I win something good? Is it money?! Please say it's money!!" I then joined the others and gave her an equally strange look.

"Where's Spike?" Dawn asked, acting as though Anya's outbreak never happened.

Right on time, the door burst open and a smoking Spike stumbled in.

"Whew, it's hot out today." Still dumbfounded by Anya's unintentional humour, no one laughed. Except for Dawn, but I pretended that she didn't.

"Okay, let's get down to business." I said and took a seat next to Xander. "What does this quarter do again?"

"I told you already, it's not a quarter." Spike said with frustration dripping off of his voice.

"Well, what is it then?" asked Tara, quietly.

"Well, I'm not exactly sure, but I know it's powerful." he said.

"Not really, said Anya, You can't buy a lot with twenty-five cents these days."

"Look, this coin hold great power to those who possess it and know how to use it." 

"And how do you know that if you don't even know what it is?" Willow asked pointedly. 

"Well, I remember Angel talking about it this one time in Paris and...."

"What about Angel?" a familiar and loud voice asked from the doorway. Funny, I didn't hear the door open.

"So, Buffy, it's true. You're not all dead. Well, you should have seen the look on Angel's face when he found out that you were alive. It got even better when he realised you didn't tell him." Cody said, with joy in her voice.

'Oh God, Angel.'


End file.
